On a lawn by the River, Hermès has built a pavilion called Little Room of Wanders. Here, visitors can check out a selection of artefacts from the Hermès family’s private collection – like these three.
Founded by Thierry Hermès in Paris in 1837, Hermès originally specialised in harnesses and bridles before expanding into a couture empire. And yet, while times and fashion have changed, Hermès never strayed too far from the very first material it worked with: leather.
In celebration of Hermès' 175th anniversary in 2012, a specially curated exhibition entitled Leather Forever opened in London. The show plunges into the history of the brand, plucking out rare and popular items from its vault.
And Leather Forever is landing on our shores this month. Plus, there are a few elements that are exclusive to the free exhibition in Singapore, including a collection of five bags inspired by our city. We find out more from the brand.
What can visitors expect at Leather Forever?
The immersive exhibition takes visitors on a journey exploring Hermès' love of this fine material, presenting over 200 items from Hermès' past and some of its latest creations.
Visitors can catch a glimpse into the secret world of the Hermès leather workshop – with live demonstrations by craftsmen from Paris who will create some of its iconic bags on site – and [quirky items like] a leather wheelbarrow previously owned by Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor.
Tell us more about the bags that Hermès has designed for Singapore.
Hermès has chosen to create five unique pieces in honour of Singapore, one per decade, to celebrate the country’s half-century of independence.
The Hermès creative team for leather goods drew inspiration from the Kellydoll, a bag conceived in 1999 by Jean-Louis Dumas, then at the head of the house. A cartoon-bag – a miniature doll's-bag that smiles – opens wide its twinkling eyes, wrinkles its clasp of a nose and joyfully holds out its arms.
As an homage to the refinement of the gardens of Singapore, these jovial Kellydolls are dressed in the most precious skins – crocodile, ostrich, lizard – and two of them are adorned with delicate embroidery.
The ArtScience Museum is a pretty unique venue. What are the more unusual ways that the products will be displayed here?
In each city that Leather Forever has travelled to, we worked with French architect Alexandra Plat to create original site-specific scenography. In Taiwan, Alexandra was inspired by classical bamboo, and she played with the idea of shipping containers in Hong Kong. Expect a fresh new take on the exhibition at ArtScience Museum.
